Baked Oatmeal

In my quest for healthier, yummier, faster, easier, and longer-lasting breakfasts, I decided to play around with baked oatmeal. Before you try the recipe I've come up with, please know that I haven't really eaten anyone else's baked oatmeal, so I don't know what it's supposed to taste like. On the other hand, I suspect it's kind of hard to mess up, being oatmeal and all.

I wanted to find a recipe that used steel cut oats, since that's what I have and use. However, I could find no such recipe, so I made one up. Everyone here loves it, especially Isaac, who completely shuts out the world and focuses only on breathing and swallowing at breakfast time. Maybe I'm weird, but I like it equally well hot or cold, with a splash of milk. It is more expensive than straight oatmeal, but it's cheaper than cold cereal or granola, so it may be a mainstay of our summers, when a bowl of steaming hot oatmeal sounds less than appealing.

One more note: since oats are high in phytic acid, I start soaking my oatmeal the morning before...however, if that's not important to you, skip the extra soaking step and throw everything together the night before. I use honey in this recipe because it helps digest all these hefty carbohydrates.

Baked Oatmeal

4 c. steel cut oats
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. buttermilk, yogurt, or kefir
1/2 c. oil (I use half butter, half coconut oil)
1/2 c. honey
4 eggs
1 t. salt
4 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine oats, water, and buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit on the counter for 8 hours or so. If that wigs you out, you can soak them in the fridge (it will slow the soaking process down, however).

Before you go to bed, combine remaining ingredients to oat mixture. Pour into greased 9x13 pan, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve with milk or cream and your choice of dried fruit.

Apple Nut Variation - Add one peeled, diced apple, 2/3 c. raisins, and 2/3 c. walnuts or pecans to oat mixture along with remaining ingredients

Coconut Variation - Substitute one can of coconut milk for an equal amount of liquid, add 1 peeled, diced mango (or other dried tropical fruit) and 1/2 c. shredded coconut with remaining ingredients (I haven't tried this yet, but I think it would be pretty yummy)

Almost any fruit would be good in this, such as dried cherries, craisins (or fresh chopped cranberries, just increase the honey), or frozen berries. Can you tell I don't follow directions very well? :)

For those of you who are waiting for a sprouted bread recipe, I will get one to you...I've just been experimenting with my recipe lately (see above). I'll put up the recipe and pictures soon, though...